Jim Harbaugh not ready to name Michigan's backup QB vs. Rutgers

ANN ARBOR -- Dylan McCaffrey could be out for the rest of the season, leaving Michigan's backup quarterback job unclear.

On Monday, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh declined to name a backup. Instead, redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters and true freshman Joe Milton will compete for the job in practice.

The fifth-ranked Wolverines, winners of eight games in a row, travel to Rutgers on Saturday (3:30 p.m., BTN).

"We'll see," Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference. "Definitely, Brandon and Joe will be competing for that spot."

McCaffrey suffered a broken collarbone in the fourth quarter of Michigan's 42-7 win over Penn State on Saturday, while completing the second of his two runs for 14 yards. He had to be helped to the locker room after the game.

Peters, who has appeared in three games this season, took the remaining reps. He also has the most experience, having started four games in 2017, when he threw for 672 yards and four touchdowns.

He is 0 for 1 with an interception this season. Peters began the season as the backup but fell in the depth chart.

Milton, meanwhile, is the more intriguing case. A former four-star recruit from Olympia, Fla., he has appeared in one game this season, rushing twice for 22 yards in Michigan's Oct. 13 win over Wisconsin.

The 6-foot-5, 234-pound Milton is eligible to play in up to three more games this season without losing his redshirt under a new NCAA rule.

"We'd like that," Harbaugh said. "I don't know if we'll be able to."

Ahead of them on the depth chart, of course, is junior Shea Patterson. He has started in all nine games for Michigan (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) this season, completing 67 percent of his passes for 1,667 yards and 14 touchdowns.